Twisted Nashville
by NesterZolten
Summary: Rayna dies and things get crazy in Nasvhille


SCENE 1

Dark and stormy night. Camera pans down through the trees to the ground - lightning strikes to illuminate the cemetery where Rayna Jaymes is interred. We see her name carved into the stone.

Cut to...

Deacon Claybourne's house. Distraught Deacon sits on couch holding his guitar. Trying to play a few notes, he breaks down in tears.

Cell phone rings. It's Snake Jackson, Deacons old band mate from back in the day of touring and wild partying.

Snake is calling to offer his condolences on Rayna's death. He and Deacon haven't connected for many years now. Snake has been living out in the swamp in Louisiana.

Cut to Snake talking on phone in his little shack. The interior is heavy with crosses, skulls and black velvet curtains.

Snake says mysteriously that he has written a song for Deacon that he wants him to try out. He will send it up along with some special instructions. Deacon seems rather puzzled by this but says okay he will take a look at it.

Snake continues to tell Deacon that after all these years he has finally gotten sober. Saying, that like him, it was with the help a good woman.

Camera pans over and we see a beautiful, haunting woman standing in the door of the shack wearing a long black wedding dress in tatters, it's Raven Laveaux, The Voodoo Queen!

Deacon is pleased to hear his old friend is doing well and says he looks forward to seeing the song when it arrives.

SCENE 2

Juliette Barnes's house, the front door.

Doorbell rings, it's Scarlett O'Connor on the verge of tears. Juliette opens the door and seeing the shape Scarlett is in, gives her a big hug.

Scarlett tells Juliette that she is always there for moral support.

The Exes have a gig at the Bluebird tonight to try out some new songs. Scarlett feels that she is too much of an emotional wreak and wants to cancel. Although Gunner is gung-ho about the show, Scarlett is not sure she can match his energy tonight.

Juliette says that the best way to deal with adversity is to face it head on. Besides Juliette has plans to drop by and see them play.

Somewhat assured, Scarlett days that she not sure she has the wherewithal to perform after the events of the last week.

Juliette confesses that she often has trouble getting up for a show and that is why her doctor has prescribed some pills, Adderall.

Pressing a pill bottle into Scarlett's hand Juliette says to take one of these and it will guarantee a stellar performance.

Wide-eyed, Scarlett looks at the bottle then gives a surprised look to Juliette.

SCENE 3

Tracks studio mixing room.

Zach Welles, Maddie James are talking. Zack is telling her that he has brought in new producer for today's recording session.

In comes Seth Burton, a slick L.A. guy. Zack introduces Maddie to Seth and says that he is going to leave and let them "make the magic".

Maddie goes into the booth with a group of musicians who begin to play. Maddie steps up to the microphone and belts out an upbeat country pop song whole Seth works the mixing board.

As Maddie sings the scene fades back and forth to Zack's opulent apartment. We see Zack arriving home to find Will Lexington eagerly awaiting him. Will is wearing cowboy boots and cowboy hat, short cut off jeans with big belt buckle. Shirtless, he dances around for an appreciative Zack, thrusting the bulge in his shorts.

Cut back and forth from Maddie singing to Zack and Will. Zack is twirling a lasso, playfully chasing Will around the room.

Maddie's song continues and we see Will roped to the end post of a giant four-poster bed looking like a cowboy St. Sebastian.

Zack teasingly says that will hold him till he gets back, and leaves.

SCENE 4

Deacon's house, a knock on the door.

Deacon answers to see a punky-looking kid with a clipboard and a big black envelope. It's a courier with the song from Snake.

Deacon signs for the package and closes the door gazing at the envelope.

Sitting on the couch with his guitar, Deacon opens the envelope, pulling out a sheaf of papers, spreading them out on the coffee table. It appears to be a complex musical chart annotated with alchemical symbols. Puzzled, Deacon begins to make sense of the strange notations.

SCENE 5

Deacon and Daphne driving in Deacon's truck.

Deacon is driving her to school. Daphne is begging him to turn around and take her home. She down not want to face everyone at school and pleads to let her call in sick.

Deacon is having none of it and drops her off in front of her friends in the schoolyard.

As the bell rings and the kids file into the building, Daphne hangs back until at the last second and runs off down the street.

Cut to Daphne kicking round a busy tourist area in Nashville. She stops to curiously watch a crusty street-punk girl deal Tarot cards to a group of gullible tourists.

The tourists move on and Daphne is noticed by the girl sitting on the ground.

The girl is about Daphne's age, but they are world apart. She introduces herself to Daphne, saying "they call me Wolfy". Greasy ragged clothes cling to her small body, topped with a massive head of thick dirty dreadlocks.

Daphne is intrigued by this creature, the likes of which she has never had contact with. As they talk, Wolfy invites Daphne to come with her to meet her friends. They leave together.

Cut to dingy warehouse squat. Daphne looks around nervously at Wolfy's motley assortment of comrades. Most shocking is a young man who appears to be their leader, Ash. Tall, lean and muscular, Ash stares at Daphne with piercing dark eyes while pouring a cup of red wine from a gallon jug. Ash slides the cup across the table towards Daphne.

Daphne hesitantly drinks the sweet wine and begins to feel it's warming and relaxing effects.

Ash stands, producing a large ugly knife declaring that it's time to make Daphne one of their own. In wide-eyed horror Daphne jumps up to run, but is grabbed by the others and held face-down on the table.

Ash holds the knife high as he intones incantations, then in one quick motion he splits the back of the Daphne's school uniform blouse from the neckline down.

Deftly, Ash begins to carve into the soft flesh of Daphne's back and we see her face suddenly change to a look of pure ecstasy.

Bird's eye view – we see a bloody pentagram carved into Daphne's back. A large piece of parchment paper is produced and pressed down onto the oozing red cuts.

Daphne is pulled up and roughly seated in the chair at the table with the fresh print of the crimson pentagram thrust before her.

Ash hands her a quill pen and demands she sign her name.

Trembling she takes the quill and writes Daphne Conrad, in blood.

SCENE 6

Tracks studio, all is dark except for the glow of the mixing board.

The studio is empty except for Zack and Seth. Seth is working his "magic", a method of inducing sound frequency's into a music mix for mind control.

Zack's professed infatuation with country music is a ruse to gain control of top 10 songs. He will brainwash the masses with coercive persuasion to do his bidding!

SCENE 7

Bluebird Cafe, the place is packed. A beaming Juliette is sitting at table surrounded by her posse with Avery at her side.

Gunner paces nervously, Scarlett is late! At the last second Scarlett bursts through the back door and onto the stage. Gunner hustles to the stage and a montage of them singing song after song from their set. Scarlett is electric tonight! Gunner is a bit overwhelmed but gamely tries to match her wild enthusiasm.

Scarlett invites Juliette up to that stage for a song. They tear through a tune that just burns down the house. Much applause.

Later, the crowd is thinning out and Gunner, Scarlett, Avery and Juliette are at the bar. As Gunner and Avery sip beers, Scarlett and Juliette are downing shots and woo-hooing loudly.

Suddenly Juliette says that they should go downtown and tear up the honky tonks on Lower Broad. Scarlett whoops that she is in! Gunner and Avery try to stop them but are left at the bar glumly sipping their beers as the two women hop in Juliette's SUV as her driver whisks them downtown.

SCENE 8

Moonlit night, a cold harsh wind blows through the trees. Out of a thicket of woods strides a lonw figure. As they move closer we see it's Deacon, dressed in black, with his guitar strapped to his back.

He walks tall and confidently across a cemetery where he suddenly stops in front of Rayna's grave, swinging the guitar around, striking a loud chord. Playing the song Snake Jackson wrote with the help of Raven, Deacon follows the music notations exactly as they instructed. The song is blend of country, rock and roll and blues. Reminiscent of the manic rockabilly style of the outsider artist, Hasil Adkins.

As Deacon sings and howls, the wind is so strong he plants himself as an immovable mountain against the gale.

The song continues... and cut to: Scarlett and Juliette downtown, dancing up on a honky tonk stage, surrounded by hollering and gaping cowboys. Driving the audience wild, the two women grind on each other basking in the lascivious energy they are creating.

Back to Deacon tearing through the song... cut to: Close up of Zach's bare back. Will's cowboy boots encircle Zack's body, digging spurs into his flesh.

Song continues... cut to: Daphne stands in Rayna's closet in front of a full-length 3-way mirror. She is examining the fresh cuts on her back with a satisfied smile. We see Rayna's beaded stage costumes hanging in the background.

Cut to... Deacon in a fever pitch, pounding out the chorus of the song. The ground shakes and splits in front of Rayna's tombstone.

A hand shoots up out of the ground, then another... Tearing at the dirt and clawing at the air a figure rises up.

Rayna Jaymes ascends, driven from her eternal slumber by the driving voodoo rhythms that emit from Deacon's tour de force performance.

Deacon and Rayna have always believed in the power of music and this is a testament of it's potential to even reach across the abyss into the tomb.

Deacon begins to play a hypnotic tune, slapping the wood of his guitar to deliver a pounding beat. Rayna shimmies and shakes to the rhythm as she moves toward him.

They embrace, locked in their own eternity beyond life and death.

– END –


End file.
